Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear Friends,

“Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye,
but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?
How can you say to your brother,
‘Brother, let me remove that splinter in your eye,’
when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye?
You hypocrite! Remove the wooden beam from your eye first;
then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye.”

In today's Gospel, Jesus reminds us the importance of self-reflection and prayer. In order to not be a hypocrite, we have to take an honest look at ourselves and the places where we may be blind. This is often a very difficult task! It's not easy to look at our vulnerabilities, weaknesses, wounds, and places that we prefer to remain hidden. The good news is that we don't have to do this alone! In prayer, we can invite the light of the Holy Spirit into those difficult places. God always convicts, never condemns.

If we are really being honest, we often already know the questions that we need to ask ourselves. We know those places in our hearts that need the light and truth of the Holy Spirit. If we are kind with ourselves, we can be kind with our neighbors. Jesus invites us to remove the splinter in our own eye before looking at the same splinter in our neighbor's. We all have places that need light and truth! Let us invite the Holy Spirit into those places today and ask for courage and honesty. Then we will start to see the good fruits!

-Amy Burghardt, Development Manager